DyKnow Software

Several instructors in the Computer Science department make use of note-taking/interaction software called DyKnow. This software gives you access to the instructor's class notes, and allows you to annotate those notes with your own during class.

This document has several sections that show you how to use this software.

Saving Notes

To make the most effective use of DyKnow, you should save your notes at the end of each class period, and review them that day. The best place to save your notes is on the DyKnow server - if you save them there, they will be accessible via any computer that has DyKnow installed (see Downloading and Installing DyKnow for instructions).

Reviewing Notes using Replay

One way to review your notes is to simply look over the finished panels. In some cases, you may want to watch how the slide was created, rather than just looking at the end result. You can use the Replay feature of DyKnow to do this. To access replay, choose View and then click on the Replay button. You can then click the Play button to play the whole slide as it occurred in class, or the Step button to see the individual portions of the panel. To move on to the next panel, you have to click Exit in the Replay window, move to the next panel, and then start Replay again.

If your instructor has recorded audio for the session, you can also listen to the audio with the slide (in this case you can't use the "Step" feature). You have the option to listen to the whole presentation, or just the current panel.

Audio replay can be a great way to review notes if you have to miss class. Just get the notes from another student, and then review the whole class session.

Downloading and Installing DyKnow

You can download and install the DyKnow program for your Windows-based PC, to allow you to access your class notes from anywhere.

Start DyKnow once it has been installed. The first time you connect, you will need to identify the location of the DyKnow server to connect to. To do this, click on the link labeled Communications Settings, as shown in the following image:

The value you should use for the communications string is dyknow://dyknow.cs.hope.edu/hope.eduClick the Test button to ensure that your have entered this value correctly.